The Pursuer, The Pursued, And the Dragon Tamer
by piikopiko
Summary: Toris discovers that Natalia is looking for a very valuable item called a Dragon's Egg. He searches for it, hoping to win the heart of his beloved. With guest appearances from others and some original characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by a recent blog posts from Himaruya Hidekaz.**

**The Pursuer, The Pursued, and the Dragon Tamer.**

Toris Laurinaitis was what you would call, a stalker. He had fallen in love with the beautiful Natalia Arlovskaya who had no interest in him whatsoever. In fact, she despises Toris through and through. Natalia was in love with Ivan Braginski who was Toris's employer. The big-boned man had taken a liking to Toris, who had been having some financial troubles then, and employed him as an assistant. That was when Toris had met Natalia. He was intimidated by her glaring looks but soon came to realize that that was just part of her charm.

The brown-haired man stood outside a large mansion, looking through the window. This mansion was the home of his beloved, and he desperately wanted to see her. Through the cold glass, he could see Natalia sitting on her couch sipping on a cup of tea. She appeared to be talking to someone but Toris couldn't see who. He pressed his ear to the window to listen in on the conversation taking place.

"Please speak quickly Arthur. I cannot waste time with chitchat."

"Very well, Natalia. I have some information that I believe will be very useful to you."

The other person was Arthur Kirkland. Toris had heard about him from Mr. Braginski. The man was known as a mysterious informant who knew the who, what, when, and the where. He uses his bat minions to gather data and they usually return with the best. Arthur's price for such work was very unusual. He would exchange information for information on the whereabouts of something valuable. Toris didn't know what could've been so important to Arthur, but that wasn't really his concern at the moment. What he focused on, was that Natalia was wearing the star pin that Toris had bought for her. Of course, she didn't know he had bought it for her. She found it in a box on her doorstep with a note saying,"To My Beloved".

"Oh Natalia, you look so beautiful with that star in your hair," He thought to himself.

"You have heard of dragons, I assume?" Arthur said.

"Dragons? Aren't they extinct?"

"So you would think. As far as we humans know, dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years. But what would you say if I told you, they're still here? What if, they were in hiding, avoiding any contact with humans? That would be something to think about, right?

"Stop talking in circles and get to the point, Arthur! I told you already, I do not have time for chitchat."

Arthur sighed, it would've been nice if any of clients had let him build up suspense for once. He took some time to fix his bow tie before continuing his speech, much to the dismay of the lady sitting in front of him. She gave him a glare that said, "Hurry up or I'll kick you out myself."

"All right, I'll say it straight then. Dragons are alive. They have been so for all those hundreds of years. Satisfied?"

"Aha. And does this information have any usefulness to me? Honestly Arthur, I thought you were the best."

"You have asked me to find a very rare item, one that no human in the entire world has seen. Well, I have found it. Or rather, I have some information on it."

"You don't have it, whatever this thing is?"

"No, I do not. This item isn't very easy to find, let alone obtaining it for oneself."

"Well? What is it then?"

"It is something called, a Dragon's Egg."

Arthur would make a very hot Izaya, don't you think?X]


	2. Chapter 2

**Parto Two! :D**

Although Toris's ear was practically one with the window glass, he wasn't able to hear much of Natalia and Arthur's conversation.

"What could they be talking about? Why is Natalia staring so intently at Arthur? Oh this is so infuriating." he muttered to himself. Arthur was walking back and forth, his blue cape following his movements. He was saying something that seemed to delight Ms. Arlovskaya. Her eyes lit up to whatever it was that Arthur said, annoying Toris even more.

"I wish I could hear what they were saying." He said. He was tempted to fling open the window to interrupt their meeting, when something soft landed on his head. Toris looked up and saw a black winged creature sitting on his head.

"Huh?"

"SQUEAK!" said the creature. It fluttered it's wings harshly causing Toris's hair to scramble everywhere. Toris put his hands over the creature, hoping the two inside the house wouldn't notice him. Coming from his hands, the sounds of the creature were squeaking through.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

"Hush little black one! Are you trying to expose me?" Toris whispered, opening his hands to get a look at the creature. It was a small bat, smaller then his own hands, that was frantically trying to bite the skin off of Toris's hands. "This bat looks awfully familiar.."

"Squeak."

Toris looked up and saw yet another bat staring right at him from inside the house. This bat was much larger, and appeared to be the captive bat's parent. Toris realized then, that these bats belonged to Arthur and that they could communicate with him at any moment, exposing Toris's existence. He immediately released the smaller bat, enduring a few scratches from it's claws.

"Well, I hope you somehow make it back inside little one." he took out a piece of bread from his bag and gave it to the bat. As he bent down to get his hat the little bat starting flying around Toris's head, making noise as it went.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

"What now little bat? Can't you see I'm in the middle of escaping here?" the little bat did not comply. It swooped down from the air and grabbed Toris's hat from his head. "Hey! Give that back!" The little back flew towards the window where the older bat stood, watching Toris try to grab the hat from the air. The little bat made some more squeak noises when it landed on the window sill and opened its mouth.

"What? Are you trying to talk to me? You may be Arthur's bat but I am sure you are just as normal as any other bat."

"…..called a Dragon's Egg." Said a voice. The sound was coming from the little bat, but bats couldn't talk, could they?

"Ivan must be working me too hard. I'm hearing Arthur's voice coming from a little bat!" Toris said, putting his hands to his head.

"Dragon's Egg? Are you saying that…?" said a voice that Toris knew too well. He looked at the window and back to the little bat. "Natalia?" the little bat fluttered it's wings as if saying, "Listen!". Toris bent down below the window. Somehow, the little bat was projecting the voices inside to outside for Toris to hear.

"If we find a Dragon's Egg, our deal will be completed. You get what you want, I get what I want." Said Arthur's voice.

"Fine, fine. But where would we find such a thing? I doubt even you could find it." Said Natalia's voice. (It was interesting to hear two voices come out of one mouth.)

"I may not be able to get the egg directly, but I have some clues leading to it. For instance, there is a rumor that tells the whereabouts of a dragon's hiding place."

Toris couldn't think of what to make of their conversation. Dragons? Eggs? It sounded like nonsense. But, it seemed that Natalia was very interested in this egg. She did go as far as to hire the Arthur Kirkland. Then, a sudden idea struck him. What if he were to find this Dragon's Egg? If he were to present it to his beloved Natalia? Would anything change? It was certainly worth a try.

**Not much for romance as for the beginning of adventure. :P I'm not quite sure what bats sound like, definitely not SQUEAK if you ask me. But hey, most Hetalian animals sound weird right? XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy~**

_"What if Toris were to find this Dragon's Egg? Would anything change? It was certainly worth a try." _

…..or so he thought. Although the rewards of Toris's plan sounded like heaven, the beginning of it has yet to happen.

"I don't even know what a Dragon's Egg looks like. Even Arthur doesn't know! I'm so hopeless." he said, putting on a white bunny suit.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'hopeless'. In fact, I'm not even sure of what you're talking about. I mean, dragons? Are you kidding me? They're extinct." said Toris's coworker, Eduard on Bock. The taller man zipped the bunny suit on quickly, almost pulling in Toris's hair. "Ow! Be careful there!"

"I think you were just lucky enough to have the time to go to Ms. Arlovskaya's house. I mean, well….uh.…you know!" said a smaller coworker named Raivis Galante. He powdered Toris's nose as white as a cloud.

"Achoo!"

"Sorry!"

Ivan Braginski, Toris's employer, was the head of a very successful costume factory, called 'KolKol Costumes'. As his assistant, Toris was put in charge of just about everything. Signing, organizing, cooking, cleaning, designing, and on some occasions (such as this), modeling. Toris pulled over the bunny hood and turned to his coworkers.

"Well?"

"About your dragon story or the fact that you look like you were just eaten by a mutant hare?" said Eduard.

"I think it looks cute." said Raivis. He powdered Toris's face once more before giving him a thumbs up. Toris hopped passed them, heading towards dark red curtains. He turned again to his coworkers and breathed heavily before stepping through the opening.

"If you want white, fluffy, and cute, here is the Kolkol Bunny!" said the announcer. Toris walked on stage, cameras flashing before him. Sitting on the sidelines was Mr. Braginski himself, waving innocently at Toris.

"Thank god Natalia isn't here.." Toris thought to himself. He took a pause at the end of the stage, to let the cameras get a good look at his costume. Out of the corner of his eye, Toris saw Arthur with the little bat and the big bat.

"I wonder if the bats told Arthur about me…." Toris thought. He saw Arthur wave his hand before disappearing behind the crowd. The little bat and the big bat swirled around in circles before leaving, as if to say, "Follow us!". After letting the cameras take their shot, Toris hopped back into the dark curtains. He took off his costume (with the help of Raivis) and started putting on his original clothing.

"What are you doing? You still have some costumes to show off out there." Eduard said, holding something that was a cross between a maid and a monkey. Toris put on his hat and said,

"Raivis will have to stand in for me,"

"Why me?"

"Because Eduard is too tall for that costume. Besides, it'll look cuter on you."

"And where will you be going?" Eduard asked, already putting on the maid outfit on Raivis.

"I'm getting started on that Dragon's Egg."

"Ok, but-"

"Wish me luck!" and Toris was out the door. Eduard sighed and then chuckled.

"He forgot to take off his makeup."

"I don't want to do this~~~" cried Raivis.

**#1 KolKol Costumes! What? I'm bad at naming things. T_T**

**#2 The idea of Russia being boss of a costume company was inspired by his Halloween costume...**

**#3 I WANNA SEE LATVIA WEARING A MAID/MONKEY COSTUME!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for late chapter. My imagination hasn't been working lately, and I've been distracted by Diana Wynne Jones books. The Howl's Moving Castle novels to be exact. I just finished House of Many Ways. :D**

As soon as Toris let the back door of the costume factory close behind him, he was greeted by the little bat who swirled around him playfully.

"Nice to see you again, little black one. I take it you are supposed to lead me to Arthur?"

"Why do that when I can just meet you myself?" said a voice from above him. Toris looked up to see Arthur leap from the low rooftop and land gracefully in front of him. The big bat was with him, perched on top of Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur!"

"Toris Laurinaitis! What? Feeling a little clowny today?" He laughed at this remark. Lithuania only looked at him blankly. Realizing his joke wasn't getting anywhere, Arthur waved his hand. There was a puff of smoke and Lithuania was able to see his reflection eye to eye. His face was covered white with makeup.

"Gwaha!" he shouted, covering his face. Arthur gave him a handkerchief before continuing their talk.

"A little bat told me you were eavesdropping on my meeting with Ms. Arlovskaya. I assume you heard about the Dragon's Egg?"

Toris didn't know what to say, though he had kind of expected Arthur to find out sooner or later. He didn't know what Arthur would do if he knew what Toris was planning so he stood there, waiting. Arthur raised his eyebrow.

"Well? Did you or did you not hear about it?" he said, irritated.

"Oh! I..um, uh..no?"

"Ah well it doesn't matter now. By asking you about it you already know it exists. I might as well tell you the rest of the story."

Toris was surprised. He didn't expect Arthur to give him information so…easily. Didn't Arthur give data for data? What was Toris supposed to tell him in return? Maybe he could at least get off the hook by sharing an interesting story about Mr. Braginski….

"Listen closely Toris! I will not repeat this again. A Dragon's Egg is a beautiful thing really. It is as large as my bat, the bigger one that is, and is very stunning."

"I thought you didn't know what it looked like.."

"Hm, it seems you heard a lot from our conversation. True, I have not laid eyes on it myself. I am only imagining it's appearance. And since I am a great existence, it only goes to show that my imagination be as wonderful. You understand, right?"

Toris was beginning to think the informant wasn't going to be much help. Arthur was much more serious when he was talking with Natalia. Now he seemed more like a crazy magician who was talking in circling nonsense. Toris hesitated to ask more about the egg, wondering if it would turn out to be a bad mistake. As if he read his mind, Arthur decided to move on with their conversation.

"The only real fact I have actually acquired is a rumor. And even I don't know whether it can be trusted or not. Which is why I leave it to you to go its source and find out more about the Dragon's Egg."

"Uh….huh….wait, what!"

First Arthur wouldn't get to the point and now he was moving on too fast! Was he expecting Toris to work with him and find the egg? Should Toris say yes? No? His mind was like children in a bouncy house. Or something like that.

"What? Do you refuse? I thought you wanted to find it. I am helping you, in case you didn't know."

Toris caught himself. So Arthur was intending to help him! That made things a lot easier. Or..was Arthur expecting Toris to help _him_? Well, it didn't matter. Working together will definitely bring Toris one step closer to the Dragon's Egg. And that meant one step closer to his beloved's heart.

"I..will work with you to find the Dragon's Egg."

"Wonderful! I was beginning to think I was conversing with a confused airhead or something!"

Toris chuckled a noise that sounded more like a cough. He cleared his throat and said,

"So…uh..where do we start?"

"Where all rumors begin! To the pub!"

**:D That's Arthur's excuse to go to the pub. Its weird for famous magician/informants to waltz into a pub randomly. ha ha.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5! |D**

Toris felt like he was surrounded by paparazzi. It was only natural when all eyes in the pub were on you. Well actually, they were on Arthur. He had flung open the door (_a little too hard_, Toris thought) and strode in, catching the attention of just about everyone in the pub. Being the famous magician that he was, being stared at was normal. But to Toris, this made him feel uncomfortably awkward.

"Don't you think we should get a private room to talk in?" he said as they were sitting down at the bar. Arthur waved his hand, calling for a waiter.

"What for? We came to learn about dragons. Having a private room would only waste our time here. Of course, it wouldn't all be a waste. We could get to enjoy some drinks…"

Toris didn't want to imagine what Arthur could do when he was drunk. When the waiter came he immediately ordered two glasses of water before Arthur could even say anything. The informant shot him a glance of annoyance.

"Sorry, I just think we should be getting on with business. If that's okay with you." he looked around nervously. People were still staring at them as if he were wearing a large bunny costume. "_I did take it off…right?" _Toris thought. He felt like he were about to commit a crime. Arthur noticed how nervous Toris was being (tapping his feet repeatedly on his chair was a huge giveaway). When the waiter came with the water he slid one to Toris.

"No need to be worried, Mr. Laurinaitis. We're only here to learn about the Dragon's Egg, not to hide a body," This made Toris tap even faster. "The boys in this pub are like teenaged girls in a school. They know everything!" he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear the "teenaged girls" part. A few men grunted, making Toris jump. He was regretting his agreement to work with Arthur just as the magician stood up on the counter. Toris gave him a horrified look that said, "What in the world are you doing!" Arthur replied by winking at him playfully.

"Gentlemen and Drunkards! As you may already know I am the great Arthur Kirkland!" he shouted. Toris was wondering if the water Arthur drank was actually water. "This may sound surprising, but I have a favor to ask of you."

"What favor?" said a man twice the size of Toris. He stood up, to let everyone see him.

"A very quick favor, sir. My friend here and I wish to learn about dragons." Toris wished Arthur hadn't mentioned him.

"Dragons, eh? Well…that kind of information comes at a price." said a smaller man who walked up to Toris. He grinned at him slyly. "What's your name?"

"L-Laurinaitis, good sir. Toris Laurinaitis."

"Toris? That reminds me of a tortoise!" he laughed a hearty laugh that made Toris jump slightly. Arthur came down from the counter, his bats appearing under his cape.

"If you help us, good men, I will provide you with this." he flung his cape and the bats flew around the men holding bags of gold. Before any of them could grab them, the bats flew back to Arthur's cape.

"Dragon's Egg, anyone?" he asked. Toris looked at the sea of what looked like pirates before him. Most of them were practically drooling over the sight of Arthur's gold and he knew that they would help. "_Nice going, Arthur!" _Toris thought.

A few of the men walked up, saying they had heard of the Dragon's Egg before. They instinctively moved into a line, each telling his own story about it. Somehow, Toris felt they were much less scary when they were lined up like that. _"I can't believe it! If it were me I wouldn't have ever gotten this far with people like this. Arthur truly is amazing." _he thought, turning his head to Arthur. He was standing still, listening closely to each man's story about the Dragon's Egg. Someone said that it was weapon, used only when truly needed to. The man twice Toris's size said that it was an baby waiting to hatch. The small man claimed it was actually treasure, created by a powerful dragon. "_All these stories sound convincing…how will we know which is true?" _Toris thought. Arthur seemed to know. When each man had finished telling his story, Arthur opened his cape and the bats flew out with the money again. Each man got his own bag of gold and they gratefully thanked him. Toris didn't understand what was going on. He turned to Arthur and said,

"So? Which story is true?"

"None of them."

"What? Then how-"

"Patience, Toris. We haven't heard all of them yet." he turned to the waiter, who was wiping a cup, and put a large, purple sack in front of him. The waiter's eyes got wider, and so did the man twice Toris's size.

"HEY! How come he gets so much gold?" he yelled. The other men looked up from their own bags of gold. When you dealt with large groups of pirates, everyone got a fair share. Things just got dirty when this rule wasn't followed.

**That waiter should look like the one that Alfred and Arthur were with in that one episode of Hetalia. Y'know, the one where Arthur gets drunk and has a spazz attack? **


	6. Chapter 6

**I wonder if I should make Toris capable of defending himself? Here's part 6!**

If Toris had a long lost twin brother, the waiter would be him.

They both jumped harshly when the pirates began tossing their bags of gold onto the ground.

They both immediately went to Arthur when the pirates started wrecking the tables and chairs.

They both grabbed onto his cape when the pirates started closing in on them.

They both thought, "There's no place like home", just as Arthur created a huge puff of black smoke making the trio disappear into the darkness.

The pirates in the bar stood there, with confused looks on their faces. The man with the sly smile broke his weapon (which happened to be his chair).

"Should've known! We were dealing with magic from a sneaking magician." he said, picking up some gold. Another man with an eyepatch walked over to the counter where Arthur had set the purple sack of gold.

"They took the money too! That waiter is gonna get it if I ever see him again!" everyone else nodded in agreement.

"And what are you doing?" said the man twice Toris's size. He walked to the man with the sly smile who was crouching on the ground.

"Whatsit look like I'm doin'? I'm getting my gold." he put a bunch into his sack. The rest of the men looked at each other. Obviously, he had taken much more than Arthur had given him. And they all knew the fair share rule…..

**()()()**

When Toris opened his eyes they were in a small, dark room. Something was clinging onto his shirt, making it hard to move around. Toris tried to pull it off of him but it just tightened it's grip. There was a small window that had some moonlight shining through it. Toris crawled closer to it so he could see his situation...

"GAH!" Toris shouted. The thing hanging onto his shirt was the waiter, who was mumbling nonsense about tornados and yellow roads. He opened his eyes, making sure he hadn't just died and gone to hell. Toris put himself in a position that made it look like he was kneeling and standing at the same time. The waiter looked at him with eyes that were close to tears.

"W-where am I?"

"I don't know. Um, would you mind letting go of me?"

"Oh, sorry." he released his grip on the almost-torn shirt. Toris helped the waiter stand up and looked around for Arthur. The waiter (who was still trembling from their sudden teleportation), searched the floor for his sack of gold. When he found it, he put it in his pocket (which was unusually roomy for a pocket).

"Arthur? If you're here say something!" Toris shouted. No reply. His voice echoed, but instead of bouncing off the walls it went forward. The room suddenly felt like a long, dark tunnel rather than a small, dark room. The waiter backed up to the window, blocking most of the light. He was obviously scared to pieces and Toris thought he ought to try and change the mood a bit.

"So..uh…what's your name?"

"Mikhal. Mikhal Michael." he mumbled. It was an interesting name, the first one pronounced as "Me-cal". Toris introduced himself, and then thought maybe it would be the right time to ask about the Dragon's Egg. _"No, we should probably find Arthur first." _he thought. He fixed his hat, and said,

"I think we should go to the other side of this room."

"Um….sure." Mikhal said. _"Hmm. I would've expected him to at least object a little bit. Maybe he's just being courageous."_ Toris thought. He thought about holding the red headed man's hand, but that would've been awkward so they just started walking across the room, cautiously. As soon as they took the first step a wall lamp lit itself up with fire. They stopped for a moment, and then continued walking. Lamps lit themselves up, lighting the way down the room/tunnel.

"This must be where Arthur lives." Toris said, thinking aloud. Mikhal looked around nervously.

"W-who knows what magically altered things could be here?" he croaked quietly. The now brightly-lit tunnel ended at a door covered with vines and rose petals.

"If this really is where Arthur lives, he has an…interesting sense of style.." Toris said reaching out to the doorknob. Before he could touch it, the vine-door swung open and standing at the entrance was a young woman dressed all in black. She had long dark hair that fell all the way to the floor and her eyes were bright red.

"Squeak."

**Can anyone guess who that is! I made it pretty obvious. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I think it's kind of late to say this, but thanks for reading this fanfic so far~! XD You get a cookie. Here is part 7! **

Toris felt that the lady in front of him was very….familiar. He scrounged his face, trying to remember who she was. Mikhal stared in awe. She was very beautiful in a…..gothic kind of way. Her straight black hair went all the way to the floor, tied back with a pin in the shape of a blue rose. She just stood there, silently staring at the two._ "Are we supposed to give her something….?" _Toris thought.

"CINDER~!" someone shouted. The lady turned and was glomped by yet another young lady who was also wearing black clothing. She was younger than the other lady, who was apparently named Cinder, and had long black wavy hair that fell to her back.

"Um…hello…?" Toris said. He had no idea how he was supposed to react to the sight of two young ladies who were supposedly in Arthur's home. _"Just who in the world are they?"_ he thought, looking at the younger girl. She looked about Toris's age, and had a happier aura coming from her. Toris felt more comfortable looking at her rather than Cinder who gave off a mysterious aura that made him feel awkward. When she noticed him looking at her, the younger girl hid her face behind Cinder's long dress.

"It's okay, Ella. You know who they are." whispered Cinder.

"I know that! But…." the younger girl named Ella said, looking at Toris. Then she turned and ran back through the vine-door, leaving the other three alone in awkward silence. Mikhal, feeling like a third wheel, decided to take a first step.

"E-excuse me. Is Arthur here….?"

"Of course he's here. He's waiting for you in the living room." said Cinder bluntly._ "If she was going to say it like that then why the long silence?" _thought Toris. As if his mind were see-through, Cinder replied to his thoughts.

"I was checking to see if you were followed by anyone else. Or if you had any unwanted attachments to your clothes. Arthur is not without enemies."

"Oh okay. Um….can we come in?" Toris asked. Cinder seemed like the type of person who wouldn't talk unless talked to. She gestured to the other side of the vine-door.

"You may come in." she said. Toris and Mikhal fixed themselves before walking through the door. Cinder had already gone in, leaving a wall of darkness at the entrance. Holding their breath, the two men walked in. They were submersed into darkness for a a minute. Suddenly, everything around them started to warp into different colors. All the changing made Toris feel light-weight. He stood still firmly, avoiding the need to drop to the ground. When the warping stopped, Toris slowly opened his eyes. The darkness he stepped into had changed into an Victorian styled home, with the colors of autumn all over the place. To his right, Toris saw a hallway that appeared to be the entrance to the home. It was decorated with normal things like side tables and pictures hanged on the wall. To his left, Toris saw an entrance that seemed to lead to a kitchen and a staircase leading upstairs. Between the two, was a hallway where Arthur's voice came through saying,

"If you two are done grooming yourselves, we have business to attend to."

"He should've at least greeted us at the door himself." Toris muttered, walking down the hallway. Mikhal was close behind, patting his pocket every now and then to check on his money. At the end of the hallway was Arthur, sitting on a maroon-colored couch with Ella and Cinder at his side. In front of them, were two chairs and a small coffee table. "This place is a lot more..normal than I expected it to be." Mikhal said accidentally. He covered his mouth in embarrassing and proceeded to apologize when Arthur stood up and said,

"No need to be so formal! We all know each other right?" Toris didn't think he was including the two girls as people 'we all knew'. He walked over to Arthur and whispered,

"If you don't mind, who are those two young ladies over there?" Arthur looked at him, grinning.

"Why Toris, you should know who they are! Think, for a minute will you?" Toris didn't like all this thinking. He wanted to get on with the search for the Dragon's Egg. But, it seemed Arthur wouldn't continue until he figured it out. Looking at Cinder, he still got that familiar feeling but couldn't quite tell who she was. Turning his eyes to Ella, who tried to hide herself behind Arthur, he somehow immediately recognized her.

"Little bat…?"

**Cinder and Ella put together make? :3**


	8. Chapter 8

**Laaaaaaaaate. Been pretty busy wasting time and overcoming about a year's worth of a writer's block. :**

"Little bat…?"

Toris stared at Ella, doubting his guess was correct. There was an awkward silence in the room that made Toris feel uncomfortable. He turned to Cinder, and guessed that she was most likely the bigger bat and was either Ella's sister or mother. She looked too young to be a mother, but you never know..

"Correct, my good friend! You've won thirty picarats." said Arthur, making his way across the room, "Cinder and Ella are indeed my trustworthy and helpful little informers. If there is something I want to do, they are always ready to help by my side!" he sat down in the middle of his couch with Ella and Cinder beside him.

Toris was glad the awkwardness was lifted, thanks to Arthur, but he couldn't help but stare at Ella. Now that he knew who she was, he felt guilty for not recognizing her in the first place. She _had _helped him in many ways regarding the Dragon's Egg. He went to sit down in one of the chairs and Mikhal followed after. Arthur sat up and looked at Mikhal,

"Do you know why you are here, Mikhal?" he asked. Toris looked at the redheaded man. He almost forgot why they came here himself. Mikhal fidgeted in his chair, trying to get comfortable. He looked as though he almost didn't want to reveal any information.

"….I..will get in trouble if I talk to you.." he managed to say. Toris didn't understand. After all they went through at the pub, Mikhal wasn't going to talk to them? Arthur crossed his legs.

"I see. Well now that you're here you might as well tell me this. Which one of my brothers do you work for? I promise you, we won't involve you in any of this. You are only here to inform and we will let you go. You'll just go back to being a waiter at the pub."

"_After what you did I don't think he wants to be a waiter anymore_" Toris thought, and then he blinked. "_Wait, brothers? Arthur had brothers?_" Mikhal continued fidgeting in his chair when finally he said,

"….Scott Kirkland. I work for him. I was supposed to keep watch of you whenever you came to the pub but now…"

Toris turned to Arthur.

"I don't understand. How is any of this going to help on ou-"

"Patience, Toris. You may not know this but my brothers are very…strict. When I left home, they came after to see that I don't get into trouble. Working with Ms. Arlovskaya practically screams 'Trouble', if you know what I mean."

"But what does this have to do with the Dragon's Egg? I thought that was what we brought Mikhal here for."

"Another thing you may not know, but my brothers are very good at sticking their noses into what they shouldn't. By now they're probably searching for this Dragon's Egg as well and that means competition. Mikhal works for Scott, who most likely already has a clue to the egg. Am I right, big brother?" he turned to Mikhal who stared right back at him.

Suddenly, Mikhal's skin started to melt and he stood up, growing. His eyes turned from wimpy to sharp and his clothes changed as well. Toris tried moving to the back of his seat, but found he was as far as he could possibly be. When his transformation was complete, the man once known as 'Mikhal' stood there, chuckling.

"You found me out, little brother. And yes, I do have a lead to your Dragon's Egg but don't expect me to hand it over so easily. How did you know I was disguised as a waiter?" he said, his voice lower and…stronger.

"You always spoke of naming your newborn son Mikhal, and you didn't flinch when Toris discovered Ella's identity. By the way, how is he? Your son, I mean."

"He's doing well. It's been two years since you never saw him. Penny is pretty angry that you never came to visit."

"I've been busy."

"I know. Anyways, this is what you're looking for, right?" Scott took out a pouch from his pocket. "Inside here is the famous Dragon Tamer's flute." Toris looked at the bag. "_Dragon Tamers…flute?_"

**And Scotland makes his appearance! :D **


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is part nine!**

Toris looked at the bag in Scott's hand. "_Dragon Tamers…flute?_" he thought. Arthur stood up and was now face to face with his older brother.

"What can it do?" he asked. Scott jiggled the bag.

"It can call an actual dragon. Once belonged to a real Dragon Tamer, before they disappeared. I found this while swimming in the lake in my backyard. Funny, right?"

"…hilarious." Arthur moved towards the pouch, but Scott pulled it away.

"You'll have to move faster than that. Otherwise, no way." Scott shoved the pouch back into his pocket. Cinder and Ella jumped up, ready to assist their master. Arthur put up his hand.

"It's okay girls. I think I can handle this."

"Do you now, little brother?"

"I think so. Now, I'd appreciate it if you would share, big brother."

"Like I said, no way. Not unless you come back home and apologize."

"You know I'll never go back there."

"Well, it's your decision. You may never get to see this thing again though." he turned, and slowly walked towards the hallway. Toris looked at Arthur, who didn't seem to be going after Scott. In disbelief, Toris stood up.

"W-wait a moment, Sir! Please think this over again!" he said, raising his voice. The taller redheaded man stopped, then turned.

"Sir? After all we've been through together, Toris? Please, spare the formality." he said. Toris frowned at the remark, but put himself together and said,

"I would like to take a look at your flute, if you please. It would be a great help." Maybe Arthur wouldn't be able to get it, but Toris had nothing to do with their family issues. All he wanted was to help his beloved and win her heart. Scott walked up to Toris, defining the difference between their height (and strength, probably).

"Really? Well, you know, I'd be delighted to hand this priceless item over to you but uh..can you prove yourself worthy?" he flashed a smile that told Toris that he could've taken down every pirate in that pub if he wanted to. Toris was no match for Scott. He backed away, stuttering.

"Eh? W-well I-I uh..um…worthy? I don't think-"

"CINDER!" shouted a voice behind him. Toris froze, then turned. Ella was running towards him, her arms out. There was a shout from Scott followed by a loud screeching noise that sounded far too familiar. Toris turned again to see Cinder, in bat form, flying across the room with Scott's pouch in her claws. Before he even had time to blink, Cinder was out the window.

"That little..!" Scott shouted, clenching his fists. He turned to the rest and said, "Mikhal wants to be a magician. Stop by and teach him something, will ya?" and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. _"Had she taken it from him while Scott was distracted?"_ Toris was thinking, when Ella came into contact, pushing him away.

"Cinder! Don't go yet!" she shouted, already about to transform into a bat. Arthur was behind her, restraining her attempts to fly away.

"Don't make this worse than it already is, young lady!" he said, grabbing her between the shoulders, "If you go after her I guarantee that it'll make your sister in far more danger than she already is." "Let me go! I have to go after Cinder!" she said, trying to fight back.

"It's already too late! Now stop this transformation or else! Gah..Toris, help out will you?" Toris couldn't do anything but help stop Ella, which made him feel more guilty than he already was.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm sure we'll be able to meet up with Cinder again. She's relying on you to stay here and help so…."

Ella looked at Toris, her eyes already filled with tears. She then ran up and embraced Toris, crying her heart out. Toris was surprised, but then patted her head.

"There, there.."

"Well! Now that that's over, let's move on."Arthur said, dusting off his cape. Toris could only look at him in disbelief as Ella continued to cry on his shoulder.

**Cinder and Ella are in fact really close so of course, Ella would be sad that her sister flew away while being chased by a strong man like Scott. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm on a roll today. :3 **

It took about thirty minutes to calm Ella down completely. During that time, she told Toris stories about how she and Cinder came to be Arthur's servants, how she learned to fly, and things like that. Toris listened carefully, glad he was able to help Ella somehow (and relieve some of his guilt).

"…and then Sis pushed me off the roof!"

"She didn't!"

"She did! I was so scared I grew out my wings and flapped for dear life. And that's how I learned to fly. I'm really grateful to her, even though she almost scared me to death." Ella said, with a laugh. Toris patted her head once more before standing up.

"I'm going to look for Arthur. Don't be mad at him for trying to stop you. He was only thinking of the best." She gave him a nod as Toris went through the hallway. At the end of it, Toris saw that the door they came through was no longer there.

_"What kind of a house is this…?" _he thought, before reaching a slightly open door that said, "STUDY" on it. Toris could hear mumbling behind it, and assumed Arthur was in there planning their next move. He opened the door but then immediately closed it when he saw the one person he didn't want to see during this time. It was Ivan Braginski. Toris slowly opened the door to see if his boss really was there, and was relieved when he saw it was only Ivan's projection on a wall of magic. It seems he and Arthur were communicating with each other.

"…so he is looking for this Dragon's Egg for my little sister, is he?"

"Yes, but I don't think he knows what he is dealing with, Ivan. The boy wants to be a hero, a knight in shining armor."

"I see.."

"So…what should I do?"

"Hmm? Well let him have his fun. It's not like he will become a threat to our plan, am I right, Arthur?"

"I suppose not. But what do I do if he takes the egg?"

"Take it back of course! And then bring him back to me. Dead or alive, I don't really mind."

"…yes, sir. And after I do this, you will leave her alone?"

"I promise. You give me the egg, I leave your precious Lili alone."

"It's a deal."

"Remember it."

Toris couldn't believe what he was hearing. Arthur was working with his boss, Ivan? Was Ivan the one actually in charge here? Does Natalia know about this? All this time Toris was only helping Natalia get one step closer to Ivan's heart? Who in the world was Lili? The shock of it all made Toris lose his balance. He stumbled across the hallway, falling onto the maroon-colored couch. He was tired and needed sleep, and this newly acquired information was making his condition worse. So Toris closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

()()()

When he awoke, Toris saw a clear bright sky above him. Everything around him was going up and down, and it made his head hurt. He sat up and saw that he was riding on a large wagon, with Arthur and Ella up front.

"Aha! You're awake now are you?" said the voice Toris didn't want to hear. He looked up and saw Arthur turning to him, smiling a smile so innocent. Toris wanted to hit himself for trusting Arthur, but composed himself and said,

"Uh, yeah. I have a little headache though."

"I told you, you shouldn't have used this wagon. The magic is too strong for him!" Said Ella. Toris wondered if Ella knew what was going on and if he should trust her. He raised an eyebrow.

"Magic?"

Ella gestured him to the front, and Arthur moved to the side. When Toris climbed up he saw that the wagon had no horses, or any animal driving it. It was moving on it's own, with magic.

**I wonder what other people think when they see a wagon moving on it's own. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11!**

At first, the sight of the wagon moving on it's own made Toris's head ache even more. But then he realized that a magic wagon would not compare to what he has seen during this search. Toris's mind flashed back to what Ivan had said to Arthur before.

_"He wants me dead or alive…I wonder why it's so important to him." _he thought. Looking to Arthur, who was busy driving the wagon, Toris felt a pang in his chest. _"Arthur has been working with Ivan. I trusted him and now…"_

"So, what do you think?" said a young voice behind him. Toris turned to see Ella grinning at him cheerfully. She looked as innocent as ever, aside from the gothic clothing. Faking a smile, Toris patted her head.

"It is a lot more peaceful without the sound of hooves on the ground."

"Haha, you're right. But because of the magic used on it, most humans tend to feel a little sick when they're riding on the wagon." Ella replied with a laugh. _"It's definitely making me feel more sick than I already am."_ thought Toris silently.

"Where exactly are we going, anyway?" he asked, hoping to distract the thoughts in his mind. He decided to focus his attention on finding the Dragon's Egg for Natalia. What will happen after….he hoped to figure out soon enough.

"We're going to do exactly as my older brother asked." answered Arthur, grimacing. "I guess it's time we have a little family reunion."

"We are visiting your family? I thought you said you never wanted to go back there again, Arthur." said Ella. Toris nodded at this, having remembered Arthur's little chat with Scott during their last meeting. Arthur grinned a grin that had 'Ingenious Idea' all over it.

"I'm not visiting them, you two are. You'll disguise as my children, and _their_ long lost niece and nephew."

Toris almost stood up.

"What! How could we possibly pull off something like that! And to your own family at that!" he shouted.

"Don't worry, I don't actually have children so my family has never met them. You can say that I've decided to take up Uncle Scott's request to have you two visit, and infiltrate the family household. I'm sure at least one of the family members has a clue or two to show off during dinner."

"We don't look anything like you though, and I'm sure Scott has made his way back home by now." Ella said, in a calm voice that surprised Toris. _"She doesn't mind?….I guess that's what being a loyal servant is all about. And I should know."_ he thought. Fixing his position, he turned to Arthur again.

"She's right. We'll get caught immediately and who knows what your family of magicians will do!"

"They're not all magicians. Only four of us, including Scott's little son Mikhal. You'll know who is who once you meet them."

"And the disguising part?"

"Have you forgotten who I am, Toris? I'm a magician, a wizard! I'm sure I could whip something up for you two."

Toris made a face as Arthur started laughing at this idea. _"Who knows what he's going to come up with…"_ he thought, shivering at the idea.

()()()

"Now, do you remember what your names are?" asked Arthur, making sure his 'children' knew what to do. The trio was now outside the Kirkland Household, and Arthur had already put a disguise spell over Toris and Ella. Toris, looking like a little boy in a sailor's outfit, frowned.

"Yes, yes. My name is Peter Kirkland and you, Pappy, are my father. Why do we have to call you Pappy anyway?" he said in a young boy's voice. Ignoring the question, Arthur turned to Ella who was also transformed into a young girl with pigtails.

"And you are?"

"I am Michelle Kirkland, daughter to Arthur Kirkland or Pappy. I quite like this disguise. I wonder if I could use it more often?" she said, giving a twirl. Arthur grinned his sly grin again before saying,

"Well, now that we're all set, you know what to do. Stay with my family for at least a night or two and see what you can find out about the Dragon's Egg. I'm counting on you."

"Yes Pappy!" said the two simultaneously.

"Oh and, Michelle?"

"Yes, Pappy?"

"Keep your brother out of trouble."

_"What do you take me for, a child? Oh wait…"_ thought Toris before he and Ella headed off to Arthur's family's home.

**I had lots of fun writing this chapter down. XD As you can guess, 'Peter Kirkland' should look a lot like Sealand. While 'Michelle' is Seychelles. The idea of having them call Arthur 'Pappy' came from watching an old movie of Popeye. XD**


	12. Chapter 12

**Enjoy chapter 12~**

"This isn't going to work." muttered Toris as he walked up the hilly path to Arthur's family's home. Ella skipped ahead of him, her pigtails flailing around with her.

"Now, now Peter. It's only for a day or two and, since we're children they won't suspect a thing. Just focus on the task at hand and there won't be much of a problem~"

"You've really gotten into character haven't you, Ell-"

"I'm Michelle now, Peter. You better remember your older sister's name before we really get into trouble."

"Alright, alright….how am I supposed to act anyway? I don't remember much of my childhood, y'know, so don't rely on that."

"Hmm…well...just act like someone who is the son of Arthur!"

"…..right."

()()()

The front door of the Kirkland household was very simple. Painted a pale brown color, the door didn't seem as though it belonged to a family of magicians. _"Wait, Arthur said there were only three magicians in the family, excluding Scott's son." _thought Toris, as Ella knocked on the door, _"I wonder who the other two are.." _He immediately stiffened when a loud voice came out from behind.

"Who is it?"

"We're Arthur's children, Michelle and Peter! Uncle Scott asked us to visit so we decided to take up on his request." said Ella. There was a short pause behind the door, when suddenly it opened revealing a tall man with blonde hair and glasses. He wore a long orange coat, and had a wide grin on his face. He studied the two children before saying,

"You say you're Arthur's kids? How come I never heard of this?"

Ella gave the man an innocent smile.

"He knew that he was closely being watched, so he hid us away with mother for a long time. But then Uncle Scott came and asked Art- er, Pappy, if he'd like to visit the family after all these years. Pappy wouldn't come, but he said it was okay if Peter and I came to meet the family."

Toris nodded his head, avoiding eye contact with the man. His nerves were crawling all over his body, and he didn't want to think about what would happen if they were caught. Suddenly, the tall man started laughing.

"Hahaha! 'Pappy', you say? You're Arthur's kids alright. Only he would want his children to call him Pappy. I remember him speaking of it a long while back. Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home. I'm Alfred, by the way, Arthur's slightly younger but cooler brother. Nice to meet you!" he said, patting Toris on the back (which was a lot more painful then described). Ella turned to Toris and winked at him, relieving some of Toris's nerves by a little._ "I better get used to all this…anxiety, before I practically die of it."_ he thought, following Alfred into the house. The inside of the building was very large, but simple. When they walked through, they were in a hallway with many openings on the sides.

"This room is the study room, where you study of course. That room is the bathroom, there is only one by the way. Over there is the hallway of bedrooms. I'm sure we have a guest room in there somewhere. Oh and that room at the end of the hall, is the Practice Room. You two are not allowed in there unless invited. The wizards in this home use that room to use their magic and I don't want any of you to get hurt, okay?"

"Alright!" said Ella, shooting her arm into the air. "By the way, Uncle Alfred, are you a magician?"

"Haha, no..I wasn't born that way. I'm just your everyday blacksmith. But…well, you'll meet them soon enough."

Toris noticed a slight tone of sadness in Alfred's words, but decided not to ask about it. It didn't seem like Alfred knew anything about the Dragon's Egg, but Toris couldn't be so sure. He was about to say something when someone came running from the Practice Room.

"Alfred! Where've you been! Kuma has…Kuma has…!" he shouted, when he saw the two kids behind Alfred. "Who are you? Gaah, tell me later! Alfred, we have trouble."

**Alfred is now Arthur's younger but cooler brother! I thought it'd be interesting to not give him magical powers. lol**

**I just realized, Toris pretending to be Peter equals a well-mannered Sealand. xD **


	13. Chapter 13

**Guess who's not dead! **

"Alfred, we have trouble." was the last thing the blonde hair man said before grabbing Alfred's arm and dragging him across the hall. They ran through a large wooden door that had "Practice Room' painted in bright blue letters. Toris started, making his way to the door when Ella grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait! This is our chance, Peter!" she said, still holding onto the white sleeve. Toris, remembering the mission at hand, turned around.

"Alright then. What should we do? It's not like we can just snoop around without getting caught. There are others here, aren't there?" Ella gave him a mischievous grin, giving Toris a bad feeling.

"Of course we can snoop, silly! We're children, and if we're caught, what are they gonna do? Throw us in the dungeon?"

And that is _exactly_ what happened.

()()()

After sending the children off, Arthur felt a pang of nostalgia hit him. He was home (or rather, he was a few thousand feet away from it) and the sight of the mansion reminded the magician of many things. Having no intention of following his "children" into the house, Arthur decided to investigate the small shopping alley nearby. He was taken aback by how little the area had changed, almost as if it were stuck in time.

The smell of fresh bread was the first thing he noticed, as Arthur walked past the old bakery he used to go to when he was a boy. As he continued walking, images of his childhood went through his mind as he walked past all kinds of homely shops. At the end of the road, was a flower shop called "Waltz". There were many brightly colored flowers at the front, and Arthur could see many more through the window. It didn't seem that the shop was open, so he didn't bother trying the door. His eyes wandered towards the inside of the shop, and the magician soon found himself pressing his head against the window. Many memories, both pleasant and painful, were made inside this shop and it made Arthur's body feel heavy. He then noticed on the counter, next to the old fashioned register, a clear vase of white lilies. Arthur's eyes widened, his mind tracing back to the one memory that he did not want to remember. The day his precious lily flower was taken away from him…

()()()

Toris found himself in quite the predicament. After parting ways with Alfred, Ella decided it was the right time to look through the bedrooms of every family member in the household. There were many doors, but only six of them had nameplates- one of which belonging to Arthur. The room next to it was Scott's and since he already had a clue, they decided to investigate in there first. Unfortunately for the two, as soon as Ella opened the door she was greeted by the redheaded man himself, shirtless. Since Scott was a man of no mercy for anyone other than his own family, the children were immediately thrown into a prison-like basement downstairs.

Toris's small arms were hugging his legs as he sat in the corner of the dark room. The only source of light was a small torch next to a small wooden door that Scott had thrown them through.

"…Well-"

"I know, I know! You don't need to tell me." Ella shouted, pacing back and forth. "I hadn't expected him to be changing in there!" Toris looked up and saw Ella's red face by the fire. He couldn't help but smile and say,

"You…really are a pure girl." which sounded a little odd coming from a young boy's mouth. After giving her "brother" a what-for, Ella suddenly turned- hearing the sound of the doorknob turning from the other side. The door opened, revealing a young man who looked a lot like Alfred, but gave off a calmer aura instead. His hair was a bit longer as well, and he wore a tan jacket. At his side, was what seemed to be a polar bear.

"Um… It's time for dinner?"

**I know this is late but let me give my excuse first! I was really trying to figure out just how to write this part but each time I wrote it I couldn't figure out how to continue from there. Very sorry. Don't expect too much after this though. **


End file.
